The construction industry is a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, with buildings alone accounting for 39% of the global energy-related carbon emissions. Global carbon emissions from building operations increased by 5% in 2021 compared to 2020. However, the United Nations signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 with global leaders, setting a limit to temperature increases below 2.0 °C or 1.5 °C. To achieve this goal, countries have established net-zero targets to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. However, while some countries are making significant progress, others lag behind. Therefore, this study focuses on evaluating the actions taken by countries toward carbon neutrality, and on developing a policy roadmap for the construction industry to meet the net-zero-carbon commitments. This research adopted a systematic document review, including document analysis. The evaluation of countries’ practices towards achieving net-zero targets reveals both similarities and differences. The policy maps developed can be customised for decarbonising a country’s overall construction industry and building sector. This study provides insights for research, practice, and society, emphasising the importance of achieving net-zero targets through the implementation of policies, roadmaps, plans, and strategies.

Purpose: Any building refurbishment is challenging and school buildings offer no exception. They are increasingly in need of refurbishment due to their age and evolving teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of literature on sustainable refurbishment so as to identify key lessons from selected successful refurbishment projects. The review findings are expected to contribute to the development of refurbishment plans in an effective and innovative manner that should extend building’s service life, focus on resource efficiency, and comfort their users. It will also contribute to knowledge base of refurbishment and suggest future directions for research. Design/methodology/approach: The paper has undertaken a literature review on the sustainability assessment of buildings and frameworks for sustainable refurbishment. Besides, the work also provides a review of recent successful refurbishment projects to collect and structure systems experiences which can be adopted in developing a sustainable refurbishment strategy for school buildings. Findings: Findings include three groups of lessons in terms of reasons, process and barriers in the selected refurbishment projects that assist stakeholders to prepare a suitable refurbishment plan for their school buildings. The potential of 3D scanners and BIM applications in the refurbishment process will also be reviewed in order to develop a proposed framework of 3D scanner vs BIM for the refurbishment process. Recommendations highlight the role of a national strategy as a driving factor for applying the advantages of information technology to enhance optimal solution selection processes to get better and more sustainable results. Originality/value: The conceptual framework for 3D scanner and BIM applications within sustainable refurbishment for school buildings is currently under researched, and the findings aimed to address such a gap when considering 3D scanners and BIM applications in the refurbishment process.

Achieving the net zero emissions target that was set in the Paris Agreement to mitigate the risks of climate change seems increasingly difficult as countries and sectors of the economy are falling behind the expected trajectory. The building and construction industry, as one of the main contributors to global emissions, has an essential role to play toward this aim. Net zero emissions target has been introduced to this sector as well; however, achieving it is a very challenging and complex task. Many studies have been undertaken on implementing different measures and strategies to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. These studies identified many challenges and barriers in transforming the industry. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of challenges that organisations face in delivering new net zero emissions buildings. The relevant journal articles published since the Paris Agreement were identified and analysed using mixed-method data analysis, including quantitative (science mapping) and qualitative (thematic) analysis. The result showed increased attention to the subject over this period, with China, the UK, and Australia being the top contexts for research. The most discussed groups of barriers were “economic”, “knowledge”, and “technical”, respectively, followed by “organisational”, “market”, “technological”, and “legal” barriers.

Purpose: This paper reports the developments of a project cost control system (PCCS) for construction projects to (1) measure its current level of cost control maturity, (2) examine the relationships between elements within PCCS processes and (3) identify improvement areas.Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a mixed approach of descriptive analysis and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to measure the current maturity level of PCCS and evaluate the relationships between elements within PCSS to identify improvement areas. Further importance-performance matrix analysis (IPMA) of priority constructs was conducted to improve a target construct and identify the most important areas of specific actions at indicator levels. The results of IPMA revealed the contrast that has the greatest importance on the performance of others so that the recommendations can be made accordingly. Data collected in New Zealand were used to develop the research model.Findings: This study develops structural and measurement models with the constructs including pre-control, in-control and post-control processes, enablers and their proposed interrelationships. Then, data from survey of 184 experienced project cost control team members reveal that post-control has the lowest maturity or weakest areas in the PCCS. Data analysis facilitated by PLS-SEM confirmed that all the constructs in the structural model have positive and significant relationships with each other and suggested that systematic cost analysis reports, communication, skills and experience, defining roles and responsibilities, and top management's support should be the highest priority for improving the PCCS in a more effective manner.Originality/value: This study presents one of the earliest attempts to develop and test an integrated model that links sub-processes in PCCS and their enablers. Secondly, this research adds to the construction project management literature by empirically verifying the roles of enablers in enhancing maturity level of PCCS.

In New Zealand (NZ), state school properties are owned by the Ministry of Education and operated by school managers with the assistance of external consultants. This study aims to explore relationships of key stakeholders to propose a set of improvement actions for building maintenance management (BMM) in NZ’s state schools. The research employed a sequential mixed-methods approach encompassing interviews with school managers at the exploratory stage and questionnaire surveys completed by school managers and the Ministry staff to identify the maturity level of BMM. The interviews’ findings were used to map roles and responsibilities of people involved in BMM and develop the measurement model used in this study. Based on data from the questionnaire, relationships among key stakeholders in BMM were examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The research hypotheses of correlation among the stakeholders were tested and validated. The questionnaire results were also analysed to identify the maturity level of stakeholders’ responsibilities in BMM. Suggestions were made for improving BMM for NZ’s state schools focusing on training programmes, reporting system, performance evaluation, and lesson sharing. The results could assist stakeholders to review their current BMM and identify the areas in need of improvement.

The construction industry is increasingly prioritizing sustainability, with the selection of sustainable construction materials (SCMs) playing a crucial role in achieving environmental and regulatory objectives. However, New Zealand’s construction codes and sustainability standards lack cohesive, region-specific guidance, posing challenges for industry professionals in selecting appropriate materials. This study aims to identify the key factors influencing SCM selection within the New Zealand construction sector. An online questionnaire was distributed to 115 industry professionals, and data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling (SEM) with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the relationships among social, economic, environmental, and technical factors. The finding was that technical factors are vital in achieving sustainable construction. Additionally, the social, economic, environmental, and technical factors were strongly correlated, affecting the selection of SCMs. Based on this research, construction consultants should advise customers on materials and the long-term economic benefits of investing in sustainable materials, which will cut operating expenses and environmental effects.